It was late. The rest of the band had drifted into their separate corners of the luxury suite—Maya asleep with a half-finished magazine draped across her, Cassie curled into the crook of a couch, and Jonah somehow passed out with a face mask on in the guest bath. Even Mark had settled in with a soft snore and one arm draped over his eyes.
But the balcony doors were still cracked open, letting in the warm, lazy breeze of the Oklahoma night.
Gabriel stepped outside, the black silk of his fur catching in the ambient glow from the city below. The lights of Sooner Hills stretched to the horizon—cars like fireflies, office towers blinking, far-off neon signs flickering into the late hours.
Thane followed, his clawed feet silent on the stone tiles. He still wore the black polo and jeans, though the collar was loose and the air felt soft against his arms.
Gabriel didn’t look up right away. He just exhaled slowly, his arms resting on the railing, icy blue eyes watching the world turn below them. “You think they’d recognize us from up here?”
Thane stepped in close behind him, wrapping his arms around Gabriel’s waist from behind and resting his chin against Gabriel’s shoulder. “Only if they’ve got werewolf-grade night vision.”
Gabriel huffed a quiet laugh, leaning into him. “Today was… something.”
“You mean the disguises? Or the pretzel parkour? Or Jonah arguing with a mall cop about ‘artistic freedom’ while covered in churro dust?”
“All of it,” Gabriel murmured. “But mostly… you. Treating everyone. Giving us this. It was thoughtful. You didn’t have to.”
Thane’s voice was low, steady. “No. But I wanted to.”
He gently nudged his muzzle against Gabriel’s. “You’ve given me so much, my wolf. You keep us laughing. You play your heart out. And you keep reminding me there’s more to life than cables and cue sheets.”
Gabriel turned his head, brushing their noses together in that quiet, sacred way they always did. It was soft. Affectionate. Wordless. The kind of thing that didn’t need a crowd—or ever would.
“You’re the reason I have this,” Thane whispered. “The band. The fans. All of it. I’d have burned out years ago if you weren’t beside me.”
Gabriel’s claws found Thane’s, their fingers lacing together. “Same.”
For a long while, they stood like that—two wolves above the city, wrapped in each other and the warm hum of the night.
Eventually, Thane pulled Gabriel in tighter, his muzzle tucked against the curve of Gabriel’s neck. “Stay here a minute,” he murmured. “Just like this.”
Gabriel smiled, eyes closed, chest rising and falling against his bandmate’s. “Forever works too.”
And for a while, there was no music, no lights, no fans—just fur, warmth, and the silent rhythm of two hearts still beating in perfect time.